A cool-water anomaly known as La Niña occupied the tropical Pacific Ocean throughout 2007 and early 2008. In April 2008, scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory announced that while the La Niña was weakening, the Pacific Decadal Oscillation—a larger-scale, slower-cycling ocean pattern—had shifted to its cool phase.

This image shows the sea surface temperature anomaly in the Pacific Ocean from April 14–21, 2008. The anomaly compares the recent temperatures measured by the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for EOS (AMSR-E) on NASA’s Aqua satellite with an average of data collected by the NOAA Pathfinder satellites from 1985–1997. Places where the Pacific was cooler than normal are blue, places where temperatures were average are white, and places where the ocean was warmer than normal are red.

The cool water anomaly in the center of the image shows the lingering effect of the year-old La Niña. However, the much broader area of cooler-than-average water off the coast of North America from Alaska (top center) to the equator is a classic feature of the cool phase of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO). The cool waters wrap in a horseshoe shape around a core of warmer-than-average water. (In the warm phase, the pattern is reversed).

Despite what lefties say, the evidence is mounting, and the world is getting colder, which will be a disaster for mankind as growing seasons grow shorter, and as idiot lefties advocate burning food as fuel. And, as Jerry Pournelle points out, England did go from having Deciduous Trees to a 100 foot thick ice sheet in just a hundred years.

Tomorrow is Yom Hazikaron la Shoah ve-Gvuta, or Yom HaShoah for those of us can't speak Hebrew. It means Remembrance Day for the Holocaust and Heroism. Schedule.

Tomorrow at 10.00am Israel Time everything will stop for two minutes during which time air raid sirens will sound throughout Israel to remember the 6 million dead Jewish victims of Adolf Hitler.

Six million Jews, among them one-and-a-half million children, were murdered in the Shoah while the world remained silent. The worldwide Holocaust memorial project “Unto Every Person There is a Name”, now in its nineteenth consecutive year, is a unique project designed to perpetuate their memory as individuals and restore their identity and dignity, through the public recitation of their names on Yom Hashoah – Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Day. By personalizing the individual tragedies of the Jewish victims of Nazi Germany and its collaborators, this project counters persistent efforts by enemies of the State of Israel and the Jewish people to deny the reality of the Holocaust and cast it as history’s seminal hoax. “Unto Every Person” also defies attempts to universalize this genocide and cast off its principal characteristic as a unique calamity of the Jewish people, while also building appreciation of the Shoah's tragic impact on the Jewish reality until today.

There are even groups locally. I will not link to them. The point of the last few links is that it can happen again, and we must be ever vigilant in the fight against these evil people. We must never allow them to accumulate power in our nation. It is to our discredit that their brethren have been allowed to accumulate power in the Middle East.

Speaking before an audience that included Marion Barry, Cornel West, Malik Zulu Shabazz of the New Black Panther Party and Nation of Islam official Jamil Muhammad, Wright praised Louis Farrakhan, defended the view that Zionism is racism, accused the United States of terrorism, repeated his view that the government created the AIDS virus to cause the genocide of racial minorities, stood by other past remarks (”God damn America”) and held himself out as a spokesman for the black church in America.

In front of 30 television cameras, Wright’s audience cheered him on as the minister mocked the media and, at one point, did a little victory dance on the podium. It seemed as if Wright, jokingly offering himself as Obama’s vice president, was actually trying to doom Obama; a member of the head table, American Urban Radio’s April Ryan, confirmed that Wright’s security was provided by bodyguards from Farrakhan’s Nation of Islam.

If Obama survives Hillary, he will (through his very poor choice of associations, his ugly Black Liberation Theology, and his far leftist progressivism) doom the Democrat Party to a defeat that will rival the thrashing it took with McGovern on the ticket. The Democrat Party has an unlikely hero in Hillary Rodham Clinton. Only she can save them from defeat.

Thanks to Operation C.H.A.O.S., she will be just as damaged as Barack Hussein Obama, now, and in 2012. It's too bad that we are stuck with John Sidney Mccain III. I hope that Democrats and Independents will remember what they got in return for screwing up our primaries this year. Stay out of ours, and we'll stay out of yours. Payback's a....

The SciFi Channel pulled the old switcheroo on us last week, and did not shoe the full show last, only the fist 20 minutes. I'm glad I missed that...I might have gone off the deep end. Any how, here is the Battlestar Galactica Episode "Escape Velocity" I'll be watching it as soon as it's embedded.

WARNING! If you are an Obama fan, stop reading now. You've been warned:

Obama’s problem associations with Wright, Rezko, and Ayers have really got the creative juices flowing on the left as they twist themselves into rhetorical and intellectual pretzels trying to downplay or dismiss, their candidate’s monumentally poor judgement in hanging around with these folks for much of his adult life.

Some may read this apologia for Obama’s associations from Reed Hundt at TPM Cafe and shake their heads in wonderment at the cluelessness of the author. Others may marvel at the sheer brazenness of Hundt’s dismissive comments about Ayers and Wright, admiring the guts it took to reveal oneself as an idiot.

Still others may laugh at the appellation “Swiftboating” as a descriptive for people who tell the truth about what Wright and Ayers have sermonized and accomplished in the past that makes them such problematic friends. Even the candidate has accepted as true what these hateful FOO’s (Friends of Obama) have said and done thus making the charge “Swiftboating” Obama pretty silly – as if the candidate would “Swiftboat” himself.

But as an anthropological exhibit showing an utter lack of honesty and integrity by the left in commenting about people that ordinary Americans find despicable, Hundt nails it...

Obama will get beat in this election very, very badly. I just hope that the Democrats who still have an American Spirit will rise up, and take their party back from these nuts. Where are the Scoop Jacksons in the Democrat Party?

One of the Scrutiny Hooligans captured audio of the Hilda Beast last night, and promises photos... [Read post]

Read a report on the Buncombe County Democrat Convention that was held last Saturday from a progressive point of view. It also contains a letter written by Buncombe Commission Candidate Cecil Bothwell... [Dancewater]

Operation C.H.A.O.S. is bearing fruit among the Democrats as they grow to dislike Hillary more and more everyday. This, in my opinion, could help knock Hillary out of serious contention in 2012 as well as cause those who support her to punish Obama in the fall if he is the nominee and she isn't on the ticket. Either way, this is a win-win situation for the Republicans, despite what the punk RINOs think about it . [Blue NC]

Closer to our side of the aisle, the talented Leslee Kulba notes that picking flowers in the National Parks (paid for by us) can get you prison time and banned from the parks. [Wild West]

Local blogger Lemuel Calhoun praises the NCGOP for their advert targeting Bev Perdue and Richard Moore and notifies us of McCain's behavior. [Hillbilly White Trash]

John in Carolina observes that some of the Duke-88 are re-writing the history of their involvement in the Duke LaCrosse Hoax. [John in Carolina]

I'm sure you all heard about the Iraq War veteran and his family being attacked by peaceful hippies who were outraged that the ani-war protest was being counter protested by them. And most shockingly...the police wouldn't arrest the hippies...even when one spit on the veteran''s 14 year old son in front of the police. I keep telling people that the only speech the left wants to be free is their own. And like Jimbo, I believe it is about time to start beating these fascist Hippies into the very earth they worship. [Black Five]

And bringing it back home to North Carolina, Robert Spencer wonders whatever happened to the Myrick Plan? [Jihad Watch]

I hope everyone has a good weekend and will stop back by to watch my live coverage of the NC-11 GOP Convention. That is if the internet connection cooperates...

**update** 9.30am Watch a video of candidate appearances at the Buncombe GOP Ladies Club shot and edited by Richard Bernier at my local and state-issues blog, WNC Citizens Blog.

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Here is the first full length feature film to be released to You Tube, Cult of Sincerity...with a catch. To help the makers of the movie out, please go to Aimee Street and sign up. The film makers will get $2 for every person who signs up for the service. Watch the movie, and help them out. They explain it all in the 2 minute and 15 second intro to the movie:

I'll be running a live webcast from the NC-11 GOP Convention this Saturday, from at least 11.30 am until the end of the convention. So, if you plan on being in the area Saturday, drop by and we'll talk. And if you have a group or candidate you want to promote feel free. If you give me a heads up in the comments, I'll design a graphic I can put onscreen during your appearance to direct viewers to your website.

I'll embed the stream on all my websites, and if you want to be added to the network, contact me in the comments, or swipe the embed code once the show starts.

**update** 9.30am I've been advised that the internet connection is not 100% reliable for Saturday. Bummer. If that happens...I'll go to Plan B, and set up to record video and grab some interviews.

Cross-posted from WNC Citizens Blog:Tweedledum and Tweedledee continue their battle in the NC Gubernatorial primary race...with Richard Moore's campaign pointing out an endorsement that Beverly Perdue seems to be hiding. The National Rifle Association has endorsed Bev Perdue for North Carolina Governor. I would think that would anger more NRA members than it would gun-hating Democrats. That is one reason I have never joined the NRA...their consistent endorsements of Democrats in North Carolina. If they ever want a membership from me...they'll have to quit that behavior.

Harvey Gantt has also endorsed Beverly Perdue. In his endorsement he noted "She is a great progressive leader with the proven ability we need in our next Governor. She has helped North Carolina's working families both economically and socially, and I know Bev will be a great Governor." Which brings me back to the NRA endorsing Democrats...especially progressive ones...why?

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Insurgents have put together hundreds of propaganda videos ranting about how oh-so-terrible the American troops in Iraq are. But this is the first flick I've seen that directly and exclusively targets the private military contractors like Blackwater that have become a hallmark of the Iraq occupation.

Earlier this week, the Sunni insurgent group Islamic Army of Iraq released "Bloody Contracts," in English, Spanish, French and Arabic. "Crimes against Iraqis happen on a daily basis done by unleashed barbarians dressed in security uniforms, criminals protected by law and instructed by the Bush administration to murder for the sake of killing," the IAI's deadpan narrator tells his audience. A cartoon of a masked gunman shooting at a black helicopter is in the background.

**update** April 24th 10.59pm The America-haters at Blue NC just posted another piece on Blackwater. I remember the days when soldiers of fortune were entrepreneurs who didn't have the benefit of companies like Blackwater. It was a rough time. Now, the guys get medical, paid vacation, and retirement...but they have to punch a time clock. No more just taking one or two jobs a year. It's been turned into an industry.

Barack Hussein Obama says he will not use nukes to defend Israel, or under any circumstance. I guess that makes him the modern day Jimmy "Held Hostage" Carter.

Presidential hopeful Barack Obama said Thursday he would not use nuclear weapons "in any circumstance" to fight terrorism in Afghanistan and Pakistan, drawing criticism from Hillary Rodham Clinton and other Democratic rivals.

"I think it would be a profound mistake for us to use nuclear weapons in any circumstance," Obama said, with a pause, "involving civilians." Then he quickly added, "Let me scratch that. There's been no discussion of nuclear weapons. That's not on the table."

Obama was responding to a question by the Associated Press about whether there was any circumstance where he would be prepared or willing to use nuclear weapons in Afghanistan and Pakistan to defeat terrorism and al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden.

"There's been no discussion of using nuclear weapons and that's not a hypothetical that I'm going to discuss," Obama said after a Capitol Hill breakfast with constituents.

When asked whether his answer also applied to the possible use of tactical nuclear weapons, he said it did.

ABC's Chris Cuomo asked Clinton what she would do if Iran attacked Israel with nuclear weapons, according to the network.

"I want the Iranians to know that if I'm the president we will attack Iran," Clinton said. "In the next 10 years, during which they might foolishly consider launching an attack on Israel, we would be able to totally obliterate them."

I had said earlier that I was going to hang the moniker of 'MacDaddy' on Obama...I'm thinking 'Carter' might be be a better appellation for the naive little...

No wonder terror groups like Hamas and FARC are rooting for Obama to become President. You know, I was extremely pissed at the Democrats (Daily Kos) and Independents for interfering with the GOP Primaries earlier this year and gave John McCain the extra little push that made him the nominee for the party.

Perhaps Senator John McCain is exactly what this nation needs in these perilous times. He has seen the face of the enemy, suffered under the loving embrace by Socialist Vietnamese torturers while Democrats fought to help their fellow travelers win the war against America.

The Pauleroids (see Ron Paul r3VOLution) have come up with another plan to seize power, and mount another Beer Hall Putsch so their man can become leader of this Republic.

Don't believe me? Read on, and learn what is being planned for the GOP Convention...

A Strategy

Some Meetups are already giving up hope, but there is a way for us to get Ron Paul the nomination, and it is absolutely doable.

In a nutshell: If enough delegations sit out the first and second vote, McCain won't get his required majority, and the national convention will become a brokered one- which means anything goes.

There are two main hurdles to accomplishing this:

1. To be even presented for nomination, Ron must be able to "demonstrate the support" of a majority of the delegates from at least five states.

2. Getting enough state delegations to sit out the first two votes won't be easy but it is totally within the realm of the possible!.

What depresses so many delegates is that in order to even be selected as delegates to go to the National Convention, they are required by state party rules to sign a pledge that they will "support" John McCain. That is not the end of the story, however.

The only consequence of that is that a delegate's vote for anyone other than McCain will simply not be counted.

That's all!

There are no legal ramifications for breaking that pledge. There are only possible ethical concerns. These ethical concerns, however, are completely swept aside by the possibility of simply NOT VOTING the first time around.

The RNC's party rules expressly contemplate and acknowledge that State Delegations may choose to sit out a vote. Rule 37c states:

(c) In balloting, if any delegation shall pass when its name is called, then at the conclusion of the roll call all delegations which passed shall be called in the order herein before established. No delegation shall be allowed to change its vote until all delegations which passed shall have been given a second opportunity to vote.

That means (a) it's ok to abstain from voting, and (b) the only consequence is that the passing delegation(s) must be given another chance to vote before any other delegations are released from their pledges.

The Big Challenge:

The big hurdle to climb is the requirement of paragraph (b) of Rule 40, which states that in order to even be presented for nomination, a candidate must be able to demonstrate the support of a majority of the delegates of at least five states. Here is the rule:

(b) Each candidate for nomination for President of the United States and Vice President of the United States shall demonstrate the support of a majority of the delegates from each of five (5) or more states, severally, prior to the presentation of the name of that candidate for nomination.

The rule does not define what precise "demonstration of support" is required. In other words, it is not necessary that Ron Paul must have won a majority of the "beauty contest" (popular primary) vote in five states in order to be entitled to all their delegates.

What is a demonstration of support?

A candidate can ask that the delegations of five states where he believes he has enough support be polled by roll call so as to enable him to demonstrate that he has the support of a majority of delegates then and there at the National Convention.

That means we have to get to work on the delegates of each state after the state conventions are over.

Many Republicans hate McCain, or at least dislike him.

There is a huge arsenal of issues on which McCain has exposed himself as a sell-out to conservative Republicans: national sovereignty, free speech (McCain/Feingold), amnesty, guns, abortion you name it, he has voted against conservative values on these.

There is also evidence he "sang" in Vietnam, costing untold numbers of his fellow POWs their life.

It should not be too difficult to convince conservative delegates not to vote for him with that evidence especially in light of the fact that the party rules explicitly contemplate the "passing" of votes by state delegations!

The Strategy:

The strategy therefore must be to get as many Ron Paul delegates selected to represent their state at the National Convention.

That means our delegates need to stay low key.

Resolutions are a dead giveaway, especially when they are fought over things like opposition to the war, or abolishing the Federal Reserve and the IRS, all signature issues of Ron Paul.

So, the best plan is to shut up, move along, do what you ave to do to get selected, sign the pledge to "support" McCain (it doesn't say you promise not to abstain!) and just get in short of outright lying, of course.

If there are any ethical concerns about this supposed "stealth tactic", think about what ethical concerns you may have if you allow McCain to become president by your inaction.

Old guard Republicans may complain about supposed "stealth" or deception-but what is it their preferred candidates do when they swear in their oath of office to "support and defend" the Constitution and then do the opposite?

What is more unethical?

What is more damaging to the country?

What is more destructive of the very foundation of our government and our way of life?

My question is: As long as there is even a sliver of a chance to get Ron Paul the GOP nomination why give up??

Why resign yourself to debating endlessly about the fine points of endless party resolutions and platforms knowing they are routinely ignored, anyway?

These party honchos and their favorite sell-out candidates constantly ignore and violate even our Constitution! What makes you think they won't utterly ignore whatever provisions we manage to get into the national party platform?

Is that worth the price of being spotted and "marked for death" by the party honchos at the state conventions? I don't think so.

Not when you consider what's really at stake.

So, please, please, please don't give up! Ron Paul still has plenty of fight left in him at his advanced age. Why shouldn't we?

Let's fight for what's important (Ron Paul winning) - not for what routinely gets ignored!

I posted the entire article so that you may see that the Pauleroids do not love liberty as they proclaim: They want power. They are obsessed by it, and just like their progressive fellow-travelers, they see the government as the agent of change, and the preferred wielder of power in our daily lives.

Just look at how they fight to destroy the Federal Reserve, and create a State Bank. Can you imagine what Nancy Pelosi and her friends in Congress would do if they were in charge of monetary policy? Look at how they have transformed Social Security from a minor 1% "voluntary" deduction on your payroll taxes.

It now eats up several percentage points, and is "mandatory" under force of law. If you do not know of very tiny loopholes, your income is sucked into a rathole.

We do not want Congress in control of our money supply, and we do not want these idiots in our party. That being said, I am very glad that they did not try to establish a third party this year, and run candidates for all levels of office...because they might have succeeded in getting a few of their people in office, and critically wounded the GOP this year. As it stands now, it is a fight within the party...and we can manage them much better where we can watch them.

Some of us can even pretend to be one of them without too much trouble. You'd be surprised at much cred they will given a guy, or girl, for waving a sign like an idiot on an overpass.

It's an odd thing that there are few videos of the Democrat candidates. The only one I am aware of is the one filmed for Sound Off Buncombe of Holly Jones at a Citizens for Change meeting. Of course, it is my contention that putting Democrat candidates on video in detail would hurt them more than it would help them.

Here is a GREAT two-part video that was an entry in the National History Day Project in 2007:

"I, Sylvanus Wood, of Woburn, in the county of Middlesex, and commonwealth of Massachusetts, aged seventy-four years, do testify and say that on the morning of the 19th of April, 1775, I was an inhabitant of Woburn, living with Deacon Obadiah Kendall; that about an hour before the break of day on said morning, I heard the Lexington bell ring, and fearing there was difficulty there, I immediately arose, took my gun and, with Robert Douglass, went in haste to Lexington, which was about three miles distant.

When I arrived there, I inquired of Captain Parker, the commander of the Lexington company, what was the news. Parker told me he did not know what to believe, for a man had come up about half an hour before and informed him that the British troops were not on the road. But while we were talking, a messenger came up and told the captain that the British troops were within half a mile. Parker immediately turned to his drummer, William Diman, and ordered him to beat to arms, which was done. Captain Parker then asked me if I would parade with his company. I told him I would. Parker then asked me if the young man with me would parade. I spoke to Douglass, and he said he would follow the captain and me..."

The incident that precipitated the Alarm was a British raid on the colonial powder stored at the Powder House on the Somerville/Medford line. It was one of several "alarms," including ones in Marblehead and Portsmouth, NH, that let the Provincials know the British were clamping down on them, militarily, before Lexington and Concord.

People armed were vital to this nation gaining freedom. Now, it's vital to KEEPING it. One of the reasons the colonists were so pissed, was the British had come to confiscate their guns. Both the American and Texan revolutions began because of an attempt at "gun control".

Here is a re-enactment video of the events of that fateful day that saw the shot that was heard around the world, and reverberates down to our very day! May we never forget, and may there always be armed citizens ready to fight against tyranny in government.

Listen my children and you shall hearOf the midnight ride of Paul Revere,On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five;Hardly a man is now aliveWho remembers that famous day and year.

He said to his friend, “If the British marchBy land or sea from the town to-night,Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry archOf the North Church tower as a signal light,—One if by land, and two if by sea;And I on the opposite shore will be,Ready to ride and spread the alarmThrough every Middlesex village and farm,For the country folk to be up and to arm.”

The third malfunction in the last five flights sent the Soyuz Space Capsule into a 'ballistic re-entry' that subjected the astronauts to up to 10 gee's and nearly 300 miles off-course:

The Russian Soyuz TMA-11 spacecraft ferrying Expedition 16 commander Peggy Whitson, of NASA, and her crew to Earth touched down about 295 miles (475 km) short of its target zone on the central Asian steppes of Kazakhstan.

"The crew is alive and well. The landing was nominal, but by a backup design," said Anatoly Perminov, chief of Russia's Federal Space Agency, after the 4:30 a.m. EDT (0830 GMT) landing. "It was a ballistic descent and all the cosmonauts are feeling fine."

A ballistic reentry is one in which a Soyuz reenters at a steeper than normal angle that subjects astronaut crews to higher forces of gravity , NASA officials said.

Cosmonauts returning from the space station last fall also experienced a ballistic reentry, as did the crew of Expedition 6 in 2003.

Whitson returned home alongside Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko, an Expedition 16 flight engineer, after a six-month mission that added new science and living space to the $100 billion station. South Korea's first astronaut, 29-year-old bioengineer So-yeon Yi, also accompanied the Expedition 16 crew to conclude her own 10-day spaceflight to the ISS.

Malenchenko, as Soyuz commander, used a satellite phone to contact recovery forces to relay that the crew was in good health.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Apparently I'm not the only one ramping up to provide live coverage of political events. Witness:

Event is over...processing audio. will have a video clip overview...

The event will start at 12.30pm, (now they are saying 1pm) and is in Greensboro Raleigh.Hat Tip: Under the Dome

**update** 4.09 pmHere is the audio of his speech:

I am very glad to see more people starting to realize that they can webcast events live on the internet, and, despite very little warning, the News & Observer managed to score a peak of 275 viewers (give or take) at one point during the speech.

Now, if only the North Carolina General Assembly would follow through, and start webcasting video of their floor action, and committee meetings so that we, their employers, can watch them do our work.

HAZLETON, Pa. (AP) — Former Republican presidential candidate Alan Keyes announced Tuesday night that he has left the GOP and is considering joining the Constitution Party.

Keyes, who also ran as a Republican to challenge Barack Obama's U.S. Senate bid in Illinois in 2004, says he is talking with leaders and rank-and-file members of the Constitution Party.

"They're considering me, I'm considering them," Keyes said in a conference call late Tuesday night. "We have so much in common that I find it hard to believe we won't be able to work out a common basis for working together."

Keyes singled out the nation's present "border issue" as a reason he is leaving the GOP, saying it is a "threat to the sovereignty to the American people."

"There are clear signs that our leaders no longer have an allegiance to the sovereign people of the United States," Keyes said.

WASHINGTON (AP) - An enthralled South Lawn crowd of more than 9,000 sang "Happy Birthday" to Pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday—twice—and President Bush said that the first papal White House visit in 29 years was a reminder for Americans to "distinguish between simple right and wrong."

"We need your message to reject this dictatorship of relativism and embrace a culture of justice and truth," Bush said in brief remarks welcoming Benedict to the White House. "In a world where some see freedom as simply the right to do as they wish, we need your message that true liberty requires us to live our freedom not just for ourselves, but in a spirit of mutual support."

The pontiff turned 81 Wednesday, the first full day of his first trip to the United States as leader of the world's Roman Catholics. His 90- minute stay at the White House—only the second ever by a pope—was accompanied by the kind of pomp and pageantry rarely seen even on grounds accustomed to routinely welcoming royalty and the world's most important leaders.

Lampposts fluttered with flags in the red-white-and-blue of America and yellow-and-white of the Holy See. The vast South Lawn was filled to nearly bursting with the largest crowd of Bush's presidency, requiring a large television screen so those further back could see. Groups of Boy and Girl Scouts in their uniforms and members of the Knights of Columbus wore their traditional brightly colored feather headgear. Thousands unable to get inside filled Washington's streets as well, playing music and waving banners as they waited for a hoped- for glimpse of the pontiff passing by later in his popemobile.

An almost serenely quiet papal arrival at the White House preceded the program as Benedict's limousine pulled up the driveway to a greeting from Bush and his wife, Laura. The two leaders strolled along a red carpet to a platform set up on the lawn, and sat side-by-side as the Marine Band played the national anthem of the Holy See while a 21-gun salute from the Ellipse sprayed gray smoke into the air. Famed American soprano Kathleen Battle sang "The Lord's Prayer." The U.S. Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps, dressed in colonial garb, marched past the two leaders.

The love in the audience was evident. A few yelled "Viva el Papa." Four toddlers sat on the grass with handmade signs, one reading "We love you pope of hope" and the other showing a birthday cake—chocolate—with an 81 on it. "Happy Birthday" was sung spontaneously at first early in the ceremony, and a formal, more full-throated version came at the end.

Four toddlers sat on the grass with handmade signs. One read "We love you pope of hope" and other showed a birthday cake—chocolate—with an 81 on it. The crowd spontaneously sang "Happy Birthday" early in the ceremony, and a formal, more full-throated version came at the end.

"God bless America," said Benedict robustly, to cheers from the excited throng.

I'm not a Catholic, and don't believe in what they believe, but I can see why JFK, a Catholic, could be elected, and why Obama, a Black Liberationist, will not. To be President of our country...I believe one should love it...without hesitation or shame.

Some liberal commentators have downplayed the effect of Barack Obama’s fundraising speech at a San Francisco fundraiser last week. But that’s wishful thinking. Along with the revelations about Obama’s pastor Jeremiah Wright, his remarks in San Francisco will haunt him not only in the upcoming primaries in Pennsylvania, Indiana, Kentucky, and West Virginia, but also in the general election against John McCain, assuming he gets the Democratic nomination.

To win in November, a Democratic presidential candidate has to carry most of the industrial heartland states that stretch from Pennsylvania to Missouri. That becomes even more imperative if a Democrat can’t carry Florida–and because of his relative weakness in South Florida, Obama is unlikely to do so against McCain. Ruy Teixeira and I have calculated that in the heartland states, a Democratic presidential candidate has to win from 45 to 48 percent of the white working class vote. In some states, like West Virginia and Kentucky, the percentage is well over a majority.

Some Democrats insist that Obama need not worry about these states because he will be able to make up for a defeat in Ohio or even Pennsylvania with a victory in Virginia or Colorado. But in Virginia, McCain will be able to draw upon coastal suburbanites closely tied to the military. These voters backed Democrats like Chuck Robb and Jim Webb, who are both veterans, but they may not go for Obama. And in the Southwest, McCain will be able to challenge Obama among Hispanics. So to win in November, Obama will have to win almost all of these heartland states. Which is a problem, because even before he uttered his infamous words about these voters “clinging” to guns, religion, abortion, and fears about free trade, Obama looked vulnerable in the region. A look at the white working class’s relationship with earlier Democratic candidates underscores the various reasons why.

It's gratifying to have some of the punditocracy see what I've already seen. It is very ironic that the cross-over shenanigans in new Hampshire that ressurected Mccain also served to put forth our candidate that is most acceptable outside our party. If things had been left alone...we would have had Mitt Romney, a candidate unacceptable to certain ignorant Christians who supported the Huckster...a wolf in shepherd's clothing. Enough of them would have sat out to give the election to whom ever the Democrats put up.

John McCain called today for a federal gasoline tax holiday this summer, his latest proposal to shore up the faltering economy and show he is in touch with struggling Americans.

The suspension of the 18.4-cent federal gas tax and 24.4-cent levy on diesel fuel would go from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Gas prices are headed to record highs this summer approaching $3.50 a gallon for regular unleaded.

"The effect will be an immediate economic stimulus -- taking a few dollars off the price of a tank of gas every time a family, a farmer, or trucker stops to fill up," he said in prepared remarks. "And because the cost of gas affects the price of food, packaging, and just about everything else, these immediate steps will help to spread relief across the American economy."

Kenneth Copeland Ministries, one of six so-called mega-churches at the center of a U.S. Senate Finance Committee investigation, has informed the committee that it will not cooperate with the probe, citing its concerns about the government targeting certain Christian churches, as well as concerns about privacy and potential First Amendment violations.

“The church is deeply concerned that the information Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is seeking could be used to subject the church and its members to public stigma, scorn, and obloquy,” Lawrence Swicegood, communications director for Kenneth Copeland Ministries (KCM), said in a letter responding to the committee’s request for a range of financial data and other information, including the names and addresses of board members and the names and addresses of people responsible for the church’s audio and video production.

“The church also has grave concerns with the conclusion that this inquiry ‘does not infringe upon First Amendment rights,’” said Swicegood.

“The six ministries under investigation all share a common theology based on the sincerely held religious belief that prosperity in all areas of one’s life is an outward sign of the fulfillment of God’s promises contained in the Bible,” he added.

This is very dangerous territory for the Feds to be stepping into. LBJ forced the churches into a tax-exempt status and limited their Free Speech rights because they were giving him such a hard time back in Texas...and now, here comes Chuck Grassley and the Senate Finance Committee, intent on expanding Federal Power yet again.

As William Tech noted on his blog, this is indeed the stuff of sparking an Armed Rebellion. Can you imagine what the Administration of Barack "I think Guns & Religion Are For people In Trouble" Obama would do to churches? Especially those that did not subscribe to his hateful Black Liberation Theology, or at least pretends it doesn't exist?

I hope more churches begin to stand up to the Feds. I hope more churches invite politicians to give speeches and sermons (beyond the black and liberal churches that already do so) from the pulpit. It is high time Christians stood up to block the expansion of federal powers, and reclaim their spot as the charitable organizations they were prior to LBJ. Put caring for the poor back in the hands of the churches, and stop stealing money from (those who are) taxpayers.

Monday, April 14, 2008

Fifty-six percent (56%) of voters nationwide disagree with Barack Obama’s statement that people in small towns “cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations." A Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that just 25% agree with the Democratic frontrunner while 19% are not sure.

Partisan and ideological differences suggest that the comments are more likely to be a factor in the General Election than in the Primaries. A plurality of politically liberal voters—46%--agree with Obama’s statement while 33% disagree. Moderate voters take the opposite view and disagree by a 51% to 27% margin. Seventy-four percent (74%) of conservatives disagree with Obama’s statement, only 12% agree.

WASHINGTON — The independent label sticks to John McCain because he antagonizes fellow Republicans and likes to work with Democrats.

But a different label applies to his actual record: conservative.

The likely Republican presidential nominee is much more conservative than voters appear to realize. McCain leans to the right on issue after issue, not just on the Iraq war but also on abortion, gay rights, gun control and other issues that matter to his party's social conservatives.

The four-term Arizona senator, a longtime member of the Armed Services Committee, criticized the earlier handling of the war but has been a crucial ally in President Bush's effort to increase and maintain U.S. forces in Iraq.

Besides the war, McCain agrees broadly with Bush and other conservatives on:

_Abortion. McCain promises to appoint judges who, in the mold of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, are likely to limit the reach of the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion. McCain's record is not spotless on abortion: He said once, in 1999, that Roe v. Wade should not be overturned. But that amounted to a blip in an otherwise unbroken record of opposing abortion rights for women.

"I am pro-life and an advocate for the rights of man everywhere in the world," McCain told the Conservative Political Action Conference in February. "Because to be denied liberty is an offense to nature and nature's Creator."

_Gay rights. McCain opposes gay marriage. True, he does not support a federal ban on gay marriage on grounds the issue traditionally has been decided by states. But McCain worked to ban gay marriage in Arizona. He also supports the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy, and he opposed legislation to protect gay people from job discrimination or hate crimes.

"I'm proud to have led an effort in my home state to change our state constitution and to protect the sanctity of marriage as between a man and woman," he told CNN in March. "I will continue to advocate for those fundamental principals of our party and our faith."

_Gun control. McCain voted against a ban on assault-style weapons and for shielding gun-makers and dealers from civil suits. He did vote in favor of requiring background checks at gun shows, but in general he sides with the National Rifle Association in favor of gun rights.

When the Supreme Court held arguments last month on Washington, D.C.'s handgun ban, McCain said it was "a landmark case for all Americans who believe, as I do, that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual right to keep and bear arms."

What are these guys trying to do? Convert the real conservatives to support him?

If HuffPo puts out too many more pieces like this...I may have to get out and campaign for McCain!

You go into these small towns in Pennsylvania and, like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing's replaced them.And they fell through the Clinton Administration, and the Bush Administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow these communities are gonna regenerate and they have not. And it's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations

This is the height of hypocrisy from a man who attended a church of hatred for 20 years. Who himself is...

1) anti-trade - except for Commie Cuba which goes along with his commie mentor and friends2) clings to false religion of hateful, black liberation theology for 20 years3) antipathy towards people unlike him. attends a race-baiting, conspiracy-laden, false teaching, anti-Christian "black values only" church.4) will talk to criminal tyrants around the world, including Syria, Iran, Cuba(commies, extremist islamic zealots), but refuses to even meet with a democratically elected President of Columbia who has lifted Columbia out of civil war, reduced violence, reconciled many different people, where millions rally for him, who has expanded freedoms and liberty in justice, media and work, who has protected the people from Communist FARC cocaine drug pushers who buy weapons from the sell of illegal drugs to Americans. Anti-Trade Obama for those "unlike him"5) refuses to vote for a free-trade agreement to lift tarriffs on goods sold to Columbia that increase jobs for Americans.

Hillary Clinton, because her campaign is desperate, and John McCain, because he’s a Republican, have both jumped on this statement. Accusations of a Barack Obama being an elitist (McCain may be the richest man in the Senate and Hillary Clinton who made over $109 million in the last 7 years are calling Obama elitist - that’s rich…pun intended) and not respecting gunowners or religious God-fearing people have been recklessly thrown out.

The above blogger is just a hater, and spreader of hate, plain and simple.

Bottom line: Obama was either pandering to West Coast Elitists, or he meant what he said. Either way...his credibility is shot. His Campaign slogan should read "The Audacity of Hate"...

Atlanta, GA - In a survey commissioned last week by the Bob Barr 2008 Presidential Exploratory Committee, seven percent of likely voters responded that they would vote for the former Georgia congressman for president if he were on the ballot in November. Shortly after Ross Perot announced he was re-entering the presidential race in October 1992, he polled at seven percent. Barr is considering whether to seek the nomination of the Libertarian Party for president.

According to the latest poll, Barr enjoys 36 percent name recognition. When questions were asked reminding voters about Barr's role in the impeachment of former President Bill Clinton, and about the reasons why Barr left the Republican Party to join the Libertarian Party, Barr's seven percent rose to nine percent against Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain. He polled at eleven percent against Hillary Clinton and John McCain.

Russell Verney, Ross Perot's 1996 campaign manager and a volunteer with the Barr Exploratory Committee commented, "Bob Barr's name recognition and voter support are tremendous considering he has never run as a national candidate and has yet to spend any money on advertising. In the event Bob Barr officially enters the race, he will already be half way to qualifying for the fall Presidential debates.â€

The telephone survey of 1,000 â€˜Likely Votersâ€™ was conducted by Pulse Opinion Research on April 3, 2008. Pulse Opinion Research, LLC is an independent public opinion research firm using automated polling methodology and procedures licensed from Rasmussen Reports, LLC. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus three percentage points.

The Libertarian Party, Americaâ€™s oldest and largest third party, formed in 1971, is on track to achieve ballot access in at least 48 states. Its nominee will be chosen at the Libertarian National Convention which will be held in Denver, CO May 22 through 26.

And, just like Ross Perot, Bob Barr will elect a Democrat should he lure enough idiots to vote for him, let alone throw money away on his candidacy.

Why am I so hard on people who typically vote third party? It is because they vote in such a way that they act as spoilers...drawing votes away from the candidate who has views closer to their own candidate, and ensure the election of the candidate with views that are most diametrically opposed to their own...thus losing in the end. It is like some one who is afraid of succeeding, and subconsciously acting in such a way as to ensure they do not succeed.

The Wikipedia Duverger Article has been sabotaged by Range Voting Supporters, so I'll link to this paper in JSTORS [which they cannot alter] , which states, in part:

In cases where there are three parties operating under the simple-majority single-ballot systems the electors soon realize that their votes are wasted if they continue to give them to the third party: whence their natural tendency to transfer their vote to the less evil of its two adversaries in order to prevent the success of the greater evil. This "polarization" effect works to the detriment of a new party so long as it is the weakest party but it is turned against the less favored of its older rivals as soon as the new party outstrips it.

Now, you may hear (from time to time) of Range Voting. What Range Voting does, is to give "political welfare" to parties on the fringe of acceptance. Here is a paragraph from rangevoting.org:

So third parties who want to break out of this vicious cycle should not support plurality, IRV, or Condorcet with rank-orderings as votes. They should support Range (or perhaps Approval) voting, or the top-2-runoff (second round) system. But as you can see from tables of real-world data, Range voting leads to a lot more pro-third party votes, at least initially, than Approval. I repeat, a lot more. That is enough to get third parties off the ground. It won't be enough by itself to make them actually win (they will still be well behind the top 2 parties in terms of money, organization, experience, and present-day voter appeal), but it will level the playing field allowing them to win if they have the best candidate once they have acquired enough funds and organization – which it would then be possible for them gradually to acquire, since they would no longer be continually stomped-on.

The key phrase "it will level the playing field allowing them to win" tells you all you need to know about Range Voting. It is Political Welfare for parties who are too lazy to get out and work on attracting new supporters.

I will tell you how to build a third party movement. And I will tell you knowing full well the advice will not be heeded by the third party types...at least most of them. The way for a third party to succeed is to build it from the ground up. Run for office at the local levels...in cities and counties. Then, over the period of a decade or so...these people can move up to run for state houses and state senates, and the judiciary. A decade or so after that, they can start infiltrating the US House and the US Senate, and Governorships...and mount a serious run for President.

By running candidates for President before they are ready (think instant gratification or narcissistic personality disorder) , they only serve to marginalize themselves. After all, America loves a winner, and who wants to belong to a party that cannot garner more than 15% in a Presidential Race? People like me can paint them as loons...and get away with it because the numbers support it.

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